Breech loading fire arm



(No Model.)

M. BYE.

BREEGH LOADING FIRE .ARM.

N0. 378,355. Patentd Feb. 21, 1888.

N Fuzns. PMiu-Lflhognphon Washinglun D. c.

MARTIN EYE, OF XVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SULLIVAN FOREHAND, OF SAME PLACE.

BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,355, dated February 21,1888.

Application filed October 26, 1887. Serial No. 253,400. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MARTIN BYE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massa- 5 chusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech -Loading Fire- Arms 5 and I do hereby declare that the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which, in connection with the drawings making a part of this specificatiomwill enable others skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same.

My invention relates to breech-loading firearms, and more particularly to that class called hammerless, and in which an external lever is employed to operate the barrel-locking bolt and cause the hammer to be cooked, and the trigger to be looked, all by one movement of said external lever.

:0 My invention consists in an improved construction of the mechanism for unlocking the barrel, cooking the hammer, and locking the trigger; and the object of my invention is to simplify as much as possible said mechanism,

:5 and at the same time to render the same efficient and durable.

Heretofore it has been customary to cock the hammer and operate the safetycatch or lever for locking the trigger through the intervention of cams or arms on the vertical shaft of the external lever; butin my improved construction I cook the hammer and operate the trigger lock-lever through the intervention of a rigid extension on the inner end of the barrel-locking bolt, in the manner to be hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the breech-block of my improved firearm, with the cap -plate removed. The

0 barrel is shown by dotted lines locked to the breech-block, and the several parts of the firing mechanism are shown in their normal positions. Fig. 2 shows the barrel tilted on the breech-block and the operation of the barrellocking bolt to cook the hammer and operate the lever which looks the trigger when the external lever is operated.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 is the breech-block of a fire-arm of any ordinary con- ;0 struction, recessed out to receive the firing mechanism. 2 is the barrel hinged to the breech-block at 3, and adapted to be tilted thereon, and secured thereto by means of the sliding lock-bolt 4, in the usual manner.- The lock-bolt 4 has a rigid extension, 4, made a 55 part thereof upon its inner end, adapted to come in direct contact with and cook the hammer, and also operate the trigger lock-lever to lock the trigger when the lock-bolt is drawn out, in v the manner to be hereinafter fully described.

Within the recessed part of the breech-block is hung the hammer 5 on a screw, 6, with its front edge above its pivot-point adapted to come in contact with the extension 4 of the lock-bolt 4:, so that said hammer will be cocked by the drawing out of said bolt. A mainspring, 7 actuates the hammer 5. The trigger 8 is pivoted on a pin, 9, below the hammer, and its forward projecting end 8 is adapted to engage the notch in the lower part of the ham- 7o mer when the same is cocked in the usual manner. (See Fig. 2.) The trigger-spring 10 in this instance presses at its free end against the under side of the trigger to actuate the same.

At one side of the hammer 5, so as not to interfere with the movement thereof, is hung, on a screw, 11, the trigger lock-lever 12, with its upper end-projecting through an opening in the upper side of the breech-block for engagement with the thumb of the user of the fire-arm. The lower end of the lock-lever 12 extends down, and is adapted to engage the rear projecting end of the trigger 8, through the intervention of a screw, 13, or a projection on said trigger when the upper end of the lock-lever 12 is drawn back, as shown in Fig. 2. When the upper'end of lock-lever 12 is pushed forward, as shown in Fig. 1, the lower end thereof will not engage the trigger 8, but will leave the same free to operate. A progo jection, 12, extends out from the front part of the lock-lever 12 and is adapted to engage the rear end of the extension 4 of the barrel lockbolt 4 when the latter is drawn out, as shown in Fig. 2, and in this manner the lock-lever 12 9 5 is automatically operated to lock the trigger when the barrel is tilted on the breech-block. A firing-pin, 14, of any ordinary construction. is supported in the breech-block and adapted to have a longitudinal motion therein. 10o

Upon the upper side of the breech-block extends the lever 15, provided with a vertical stem or shaft, 16, which has its bearing and turns in the upper part of the breech-block. Upon the lower end of the stem or shaft 16 of the lever 15 is secured an arm, 17, the inner end of which is adapted to extend into and travel in a grooved way, 18, formedin the up per surface of the extension 4 of thelock-bolt 4. A spring, 20, with its free end bearing against a projection on the arm 17, (see Fig. 1,) serves to return the arm 17, the lever 15, and the lock-bolt 4 back to their normal positions after the hammer has been cocked.

From the above description, in connection with the drawings, the operation of my improved mechanismfor unlocking-the barrel, cooking the hammer, and operating the lever which looks the trigger through the intervention of an extension on the inner end of the barrel lock-bolt, will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, and is as follows:

The several parts ofthe mechanism being in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 1, the outer end of lever 15 is moved to the right, causing the arm 17, which extends into the way 18 in the extension 4 of the lock-bolt4, to move with said lever and draw out the lockbolt 4, thus disengaging the barrel. The continued motion of the lever 15 and arm 17, secured on the shaft 16 thereof, together with the tilting of the barrel, causes the look-bolt 4, through the intervention of the extension 4 thereon, to cook the hammer and to operate the lever 12 to lock the trigger. After the 1 hammer is cooked and held by the trigger and the barrel returned to its normal position, the spring 20 acts to draw back the arm 17, the lever 15, and the lock-bolt 4 to their normal positions. By pushing forward the upper end of the 1ock-lever 12 the trigger Sis released and the fire-arm is ready to be discharged. It will thus be seen that the construction and operation of my improved firing mechanism are very simple and not liable to get out of order, and that by means of the rigid extension on the barrel lock-bolt for cocking the hammer and operating the trigger lock-lever Ido away with the necessity of any cams or arms on the stem of the external lever for that purpose.

Having thus described my inventiou,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combinatiomwith the external lever,15, havinga stem, l6,and an arm,17, on said stem, and the locking-bolt 4, having a rigid extension, 4, upon its inner end engaged by said arm 17 to operate said bolt, of the trigger, the

hammer, and the trigger lock-lever 12, the upper end of which lever extends through the breech-block, and the lower end engages and locks the trigger, the hammer being cocked, and the lock-lever operated to lock the trigger by means of the rigid extension 4 on said locking-bolt 4 coming in direct contact therewith, substantially as set forth.

MARTIN BYE.

Witnesses:

J on O. DEWEY, CLARENCE M. DIoKINsoN. 

